Read Like an Entrepreneur: A Method That Delivers More Than Dozens of Books

Azizbek Kurbonov, city — Tashkent, founder and CEO of AK Capital, Instagram

I have long noticed that entrepreneurs do many things differently. They strive to optimize processes not only in business but also in life. This is their nature, their "thing." They either delegate or perform tasks as efficiently as possible.

But there is one activity where efficiency often falls short. And here, entrepreneurs are not to blame. We are talking about reading books. Yes, you heard correctly. Reading is not just a pleasant pastime. It requires not only desire, time, and energy but also the right methodology.

The question arises: what does this have to do with entrepreneurs? After all, many people read books. The thing is that entrepreneurs read with a specific goal — to gain knowledge or answers to questions that are currently facing them.

Having read more than 50 books on business and other topics, I noticed an interesting pattern. Many ideas are endlessly repeated; only the form, title, or author changes. Often, concepts from psychology or other fields are transferred into business. As a result, it became clear: one book in isolation rarely yields maximum effect. But chaotic reading also reduces the benefit.

Thus, I came up with the idea of reading books "in clusters." That is, forming lists on a specific topic and studying them in a certain sequence. This approach helps:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
2. See different perspectives on the same issue.
3. Create a "cluster" of ideas and concepts that are interconnected.
4. Remember through associations and comparisons.

When I was looking for confirmation of this thought, I came across articles like Reading in Clusters or The Cluster Approach to Reading Books. But I wanted to add personal experience and show how this method works in practice.

How I came to the cluster method

My first "cluster" appeared by chance. In Nassim Taleb's book Fooled by Randomness, the author constantly cited other thinkers and commented on their ideas. That's how I got acquainted with Kahneman, Tversky, Soros, and others. In 2019, I did not yet realize how systematically this could be used for in-depth study.

That year, I had a lot of free time, and I read for eight hours a day. Over the next six years, I managed to change five industries, launch several projects, survive the pandemic, and open and close offline businesses. And it was then that reading became for me a tool for finding answers. I used three channels:

1. Consultations with specialists — mentoring
2. Practice — participation in processes where I had a question
3. Books — theory.

Each channel gave its part of the picture, but often left contradictions.

The conclusion was as follows:
a) Practice teaches best.
b) For a conversation with a consultant to be productive, you need to have a basic understanding of the topic. And for this, it is useful to read a series of books — three to five works related to a specific request.

Over time, I began to approach this process systematically and form my own "clusters" — collections of books that are united by one theme and arranged in a logical sequence. This format helped me quickly figure out complex issues and find different perspectives.

Below I will provide several examples of my clusters. They will be especially useful for founders, business consultants, and senior executives.

Examples of my clusters

Cluster 1. Organization and Management

1. Images of Organization
2. High Output Management
3. The Innovator’s Dilemma
4. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Cluster 2. Self-Awareness

1. Think and Grow Rich
2. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
3. Alternative, Oscar Hartmann
4. Coaching for Performance, John Whitmore

Cluster 3. Innovation and Market

1. Startup Nation
2. Zero to One
3. Loonshots
4. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Each cluster is a logical sequence. It helps to move from the general to the specific, from macro-perspective to micro-level. At the same time, authors within one cluster often disagree with each other — and it is precisely this that generates a more comprehensive understanding.

Why this works: example of the first cluster

— Images of Organization shows companies through eight metaphors
— High Output Management teaches management tools and systems
— The Innovator’s Dilemma explains how to implement innovations and what to avoid
— The Hard Thing About Hard Things gives honest advice on managing people and business in real life.

Conclusion

The cluster reading method helps to study topics more deeply than reading one or two books. It provides a system, a comprehensive view, and practical value. Try creating your first "cluster" — and you will feel the difference.